Category Archives: World

Blog, Curacao, Inquiry, International, Travel, World

Inquiry: Landhuis Chobolobo – Blue Curacao Cocktail Workshop

January 30, 2020 Kristi Leave a comment

WILLEMSTAD, CURAÇAO – Friday, I went to the Landhuis Chobolobo Cocktail Workshop and learned how to make a cocktail with the Blue Curacao Liquor. I highly recommend this workshop for any foodie as it was very informative and entertaining. The workshop started with a tour of an exhibit of how the liquor was made, then a tasting and a workshop to make two cocktails. After the workshop I had dinner at the Cabana beach club near my hotel. A taxi ride got me to the tour and back to the hotel and I was able to reserve and book through the website – Viator.com.

Here is some info about Landhuis Chobolobo (Landhuis is the word for plantation).

Landhuis Chobolobo is one of Curacao’s most renown 19th-century country mansions
Visit the Curacao Liqueur Distillery
Learn everything about the Genuine Curacao Liqueur and the island of Curaçao
Taste a sample of our fine craft Genuine Curacao Liqueurs
Have a unique cocktail experience in our Chobolobo’s Cocktail Workshop
Grab a bite or try our locally made ice cream
Find original Curacao souvenirs and gifts

Blog, Curacao, International, Residencies, Travel, World

Residency: The Pier Beach Inn and Suites

January 28, 2020 Kristi Leave a comment

WILLIAMSTAD, CURAÇAO – For my 30th birthday trip, I recently went to Curacao. It was a relatively easy destination to navigate, however, a rather long flight. It was closer to 9-10 hours rather than my usual 6-8 hours. I hadn’t gone anywhere since Greenland so I wanted this trip to be a little extra special. I must say trying to book Curacao on a budget was a little challenging. I ended up changing and canceling hotels a couple of times since the taxi rides from the airport were super expensive at night since that was when I was arriving.

Through my planning, I came upon The Pier Beach Inn and Suites and was a short walk away from the beach clubs that I was planning to go to. I ended up splitting my time with an activity in the morning and then beach time midday to sunset than with dinner

The Pier Beach Inn and Suites was exceptional for an economic option in Curacao. It was extremely clean, close to the desired location, had satisfying breakfast options, accommodating and friendly staff who were super helpful with travel hiccups. Though there was a rooster outside of my window most mornings that’s beyond their control.

Greenland, International, Live/Work, Residencies, Travel, World

Residency: Greenland Institute for Natural Resources

May 26, 2019 Kristi Leave a comment

NUUK, GREENLAND – In summer of 2018, I had been working on my artwork and its’ pursuit and submitted my first scientific project to a natural resources institute in Nuuk, Greenland. I had NO idea what to expect and based on the information on their website it said they don’t accept all projects. I think I was pretty lucky to have my project accepted to study the plants and flora of Greenland in May.

The living situation at GINR is apartment-style and is equipped with a fully, functional kitchen, laundry and showers/bathrooms. It really did feel like I was back in college again living in a dormitory. Surprisingly, there were eventually quite a few other residents of all ages – mostly though of women my age.

In the room there is a bed, closet, dresser and big work desk that was easy to display my materials and work on. There was also a large window that faced the airport, a soft chair and a nightstand.

Nuuk, Greenland is surprisingly more western than I had anticipated despite being more remote. From my experiences so far, it seems that this might be due to the fact that tourism in general has become more popular, though Greenland is still quite difficult to get to.

Supposedly, there is a short window of time where the weather is best for flights. Flights occur all year around but are more risky due to the extreme weather conditions.

Food and drink have to be either shipped or flown into the island, no surprise there and many of the conventional provisions were of Danish origin.

Art, Blog, Excursions, Lifestyle, Maine, New England, Travel, World, ◆◆◆

Bar Harbor, ME – A Taste of Blue

July 6, 2016 Kristi Leave a comment

Team K has taken on Bar Harbor! My intern went to Bar Harbor last week on a family vacation and I am here this week for one of my artist receptions; Pine Needles and Rose are being exhibited at the MDI Biological Laboratory through September. So far it’s been a dream and very reminiscent of my trip to Big Sur in 2013. The coast is just as dramatic. I left Boston at 7 am and arrived on Bar Harbor Rd at 11:45. I made a few stops along the way for food and bathroom breaks but otherwise the drive was very painless. It seemed shorter than I expected.

Due to the anticipated cloudy weather tomorrow, I decided to do most of the scenic sightseeing today through drives.

Unfortunately for me it was $25 a vehicle to get into the parks of the popular places; sand beach, etc. but I was content driving along the coast. There are a few free entrances to the Wild Gardens, etc. that I will be making a visit to tomorrow before my reception. I ate at Bar Harbor Beerworks and had their mussels which were amazing! I then did a little shopping and pick up blueberry incense and jam and a couple of postcards.

[FinalTilesGallery id=’24’]

Excursions, Live/Work, Travel, World, ◆◆◆

Harwich, MA – Cape Cod Lavender Farm

July 3, 2016 Kristi Leave a comment

A couple of weekends ago, my family and I went to the Cape Cod Lavender Farm in Harwich, MA. Unfortunately we were a bit early to see everything in bloom, but the fragrance was so strong it was still pleasant to walk around and enjoy. I had seen the CCLF on instagram and been following them for awhile, so it was nice to finally check them out and see local Cape Cod farmers! Below are some pics from that excursion.

Articles, Blog, Editorials, Intern, Philosophy, Reflections, Spirituality, World

Conceptual Success

June 25, 2016 Kristi Leave a comment

The concept of a goal is an interesting one. While it’s necessary to create a goal to achieve results, the processes involves a shift of focus away from the present moment of time. The essence of any spiritual practice is to allow yourself to resonate as close as possible to the present moment. What is the answer to this discrepancy? It is the culturally based definition of success.

In the context of a western society, the elusive goal called success looks like wealth and fame. As a portrait photographer, I have been exposed to a large collection of collegiate and high school graduations within the north east region of the United States. I see this to be a perfect representation of the region’s societal prescription. In this part of the world, class officials and leaders preach to their students messages that ultimately vocalize the wealth and fame version of success. They say that acquisition of upper echelon employment will provide a sufficient amount of wealth required to be happy. This is the goal they set out for the millennial generation to follow.

I don’t believe this can this fulfill the spirits of every human being that is born into this society, and is the reason for a good chunk of the hardships that this genre of life brings. Anyone who has been exposed to a drastically different way of life in other global communities will see the same vision. Each context of society seems to know they should be chasing happiness, however the concept of profit has driven more developed parts of the world such as the United States to devote their souls to acquiring materialistic wealth while namelessly robbing their happiness in the process.

Don’t be seduced into thinking that that which does not make a profit is without value. — Arthur Miller

If people are able to raise their appreciation for the present moment, this concept may also become clear. Setting a goal must lay forth a fulfilling path that is centered to the individuals passions and desires, not to the tune of a corporate profit. Success will come when passion, the art of creation, and happiness find their place to guide the path set by an ultimate goal. This way, the process of shifting focus away from the here and now can be enlightening, and success can come from within.

A goal is an amazing entity. Looked at with full appreciation and dominant compassion, manipulation of elements within the universe converge to display a desired outcome. What could be more beautiful than that?

Connect Deeper

If these words resonated with you, learn more about my style:

nilesa | VSCO
Life is good. Enjoy the ride.vsco.co Photo

Niles (@nilesackerman) * Instagram photos and videos
teamlivelife UMass Amherst ’17 🚗 🚲 🏋🏼📷🌎www.instagram.com

Art, Blog, Business, Events, Travel, World

Boston, MA – Americans for the Arts Convention

June 21, 2016 Kristi Leave a comment

As I lay here trying to sleep, I figured I’d do my write up for the Americans for the Arts Convention that I attended this past weekend. I came back to Wellesley on Thursday to attend a convention that the Mass Cultural Council invited me to. I had been looking for events and networking opportunities over the winter to attend to this year. 13450098_3131250960504_2202132617928704052_n

While the theme of the convention this year was Public Art and I originally felt that it wasn’t really up my alley being a photographer, I still learned a lot from it and gained some inspiration. There are new trends and innovations within the arts community that are crossing over to the corporate world which I find interesting. It was also a unique convention in the sense that since it was public art so you were mingling with city officials from all over. Unfortunately a lot of it I felt was related to policy, which to me is totally unrelatable. Not to mention I felt like it was hard to network with some of these people since they were 10, 20, 30, 40 years older than me. Though it did give me some insight and direction as to where I should aim in my career.

In terms of learning, I felt that the skills, management and processes to produce these monumental projects were of like-mind in the sense that project management is project management no matter what the outcome was, which was very relatable for me. Coming to this event from a marketing/journalism background I thought was interesting. As many of these people were administrative/policy/advocacy members and then wearing the artist hat, it was interesting to see the other sides of the judging panel.

Although the best parts were seeing a colleague of mine and a community that I have been in contact with out here in Western MA there. It was nice to see the staff at the Arts Extension Services there. As if it wasn’t for the class that I took with them, I would not have met my current landlord! I also met and introduced myself to Jane Echelman whom I have admired since college. I told her that I had seen her at her Wellfleet talk last summer and that I wrote a paper about her work in college comparing it to 1960s sculpture; she seemed flattered! Then properly handed her my biz card with a copy of my photographs on it. 🙂

All in all, I’m glad I went, though I’m glad I was invited by Mass Cultural Council. Unless the theme was really up my alley, I don’t think it was worth $500 to attend, though I did get a lot of inspiration from it.

Articles, Blog, Inspiration, Intern, Reflections, Spirituality, World

A Centered Take on Society

June 18, 2016 Kristi Leave a comment

To my objective vision, today’s society is a living and growing entity made rational and tangible through the five human senses, while attenuating the unknown.

Society cares for the individual only so far as he is profitable -Simone de Beauvoir

Having been raised in western cultural norms, and recently exposed to the radical dichotomy that exists between global cultures, it has become clear to me that accepting yourself while staying true to your passions holds the key to a positive frequency of life. This way, everything can be perfect.

Accept yourself as you are. And that is the most difficult thing in the world, because it goes against your training, education, your culture. From the very beginning you have been told how you should be. Nobody has ever told you that you are good as you are → Osho

This concept has awakened my beliefs to a direction that is not bound by convention. My thoughts have gravitated towards making sense of the world we call home. Essentially, I see truths that point toward many different avenues to achieve the same desired outcome. I believe everyone has a unique and essential perspective of the world. I personally find a great sense of curiosity in exploring these avenues, and appreciating our dimensional gift that is the present moment. Through the experience of natural forms of stimulation such as exercise or practiced gratitude for our existence, we are able to give our body the exact programming and rewards that it is primitively set up to receive in order to subscribe to a positive frequency of life.

We are in a transitional period with our bodies, in that many demands of modern western culture see no need to fulfill these natural reward systems. Instead, they are replaced with stresses on the acquisition of money and material worth. Unless you are actively pursuing something that you absolutely love and are passionate about, the relatively new prescribed path of life called your job becomes ultimately empty and completely unnatural to the human body and its coordinated psyche.

It is almost as if society has engineered itself so that we can consistently innovate and create new things more quickly and more easily. From an evolutionary perspective, it is almost as if this machine wants to be born, so it has reprogrammed society to live for the machine, rather than to live for the natural human needs system.

We are all on this incomprehensibly large sphere hurling its self through infinite space and time. How come nobody seems to talk about it?

Connect Deeper

If this article resonated with you, check out my lifestyle.

Niles (@nilesackerman) * Instagram photos and videos
teamlivelife UMass Amherst ’17 🚗 🚲 🏋🏼📷🌎www.instagram.com

nilesa | VSCO
Life is good. Enjoy the ride.vsco.co

Blog, Reflections, World

Frustrations of a Psychic

June 13, 2016 Kristi Leave a comment

I am frustrated. These past two weeks I have been crippled with anxiety. I kept thinking over and over as to why. NOTHING in my life could be the cause of this. Yes, there’s a lot on my plate, but in theory I don’t have to do much of any of it.

So why have I been crippled with so much anxiety? Even after being laid off unexpectedly, I was relatively calm, and all through May I had been calm.

I found myself recalling what this anxiety was usually associated with. Something I like to call psychic fever… when I start to get physically ill due to something bad coming to my life.

I got it when I was fired unexpectedly. I got it when the Paris terrorist attacks occurred, the Boston Marathon bombing, and now I am realizing the massacre in Orlando.

I have come to the conclusion that I get physically ill whenever a major and devastating event is about to happen. Usually the day after I am relieved, or feel better as messed up as that sounds. And not for evil purposes either, ‘oh that I’m glad that dozens of people were hurt or injured’. The anxiety should be worse after, to think all those loving people being injured by a senseless act of violence.

But the anxiety comes from not being able to control it. No one will believe me when something bad is going to happen with symptoms of a common cold. No one will believe it.

But this physical reaction was different this time with Orlando. Last night I had a dream where I was running away from a gunman and bolted out of an emergency exit. Somehow I thought staying to bolt the door was safer than using the time to flea. The gunman knocked down the door which threw me to the ground and shot me in the neck. I felt my warm blood gushing out of my neck, down my torso and felt myself dying which is when I woke up.

I don’t remember my dreams. My last dream was also a death dream which happened the night before I was laid off unexpectedly.

This gunman dream was so much more real. I even FELT the warm blood.

It makes me so frustrated sometimes to have this heightened ability and not be able to do anything real with it because no one will believe me.

Maybe I’m meant to change that.

Man, wouldn’t it be cool if I could fight terrorism with my ability be able to tell the CIA when the next attack would be… yeah.

Articles, Editorials, Lifestyle, Pre, World

Worcester, MA – Gluten Free Expo July 23 – 24

June 1, 2016 Kristi Leave a comment

Disclaimer:

As a lifestyle specialist, when I came upon this event that is being hosted in Worcester I thought it would be an interesting backdrop to create a content series. While I don’t want to offend those who have to deal with gluten and other food allergies on a day-to-day basis because of medical sensitivities by saying that it’s just a luxurious ‘lifestyle’ – it does fall under the Food category which is considered part of the lifestyle categories. As I expand this blog, I want to make sure that all lifestyles are considered and no one is excluded. Not to mention sampling food is always a plus! 😀

This July, Udis Gluten Free and Glutino are presenting a Gluten Free and Allergen Free expo in Worcester, MA! It is aimed to be an educational experience on the realities of those suffering with gluten and other food allergens. While I am not aware of a strong stereotype with this group, this expo helps make aware of the various struggles and challenges that this group of people struggle with on a day-to-day basis. While I don’t have an allergy, I am always exploring and experimenting ways to improve my diet as someone with hypothyroidism, gluten certainly has an effect on my energy levels!

Sometimes finding the right ingredients is key to making a traditional gluten filled recipe gluten free yet still making it taste the same. A huge challenge those with Gluten and Food Allergens face is that sometimes the substitutes aren’t exactly perfect and the taste can be off, or the recipe just doesn’t turn out right. For the weekend of July 23 – 24, the Gluten Free and Allergen Friendly expo will provide classes on how to over come this translation struggle and will help educate you on how to find that perfect recipe. Sometimes if you don’t know where to look, it’s hard to find what you’re looking for!

Additionally, it may be hard to trust certain brands and companies to make a truly gluten and allergy free food item. At the Gluten Free and Allergen Friendly expo you will be able to sample supposedly gluten free food and snacks from over 100 brands. This will allow you to taste gluten free food without making the commitment to buy the entire thing – as gluten-free products can be pricer!

And the best part about attending this expo is that you’ll be able to mingle and socialized with your favorite vendors, authors and bloggers (like yours truly) and be able to ask them questions or experience a new brand together. If you are just beginning your allergen free journey, be sure to check out this expo as it will help create the footing you need in order to educate yourself on the gluten and allergen free community.

Directions Below to reach the Expo:

When

July 23 & 24, 2016

10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Concessions open for beverages only.

Where

DCU Center-North Exhibit Hall
50 Foster Street
Worcester, MA 01608

Click HERE for directions and transportation.

Click HERE for parking.

Tickets

Adult Tickets – $15 for a One-Day pass

Art, Blog, Exhibitions, News, Receptions, World

PARIS, FR – Vernissage de l’exposition “GAIA”

December 1, 2015 Kristi Leave a comment

As usual click the above image to be taken to the facebook album.

Visite de l’exposition du mairie du 18ème Eric Lejoindre et de la conseillère de Paris Danièle Premel commentée par la commissaire de l’exposition Julia Rajacic / Paris 18th city mayor Eric Lejoindre with the counsillor in charge of popular education Danièle Premel visiting the exhibition with the curator Julia Rajacic

Visit of the exhibition of the hall of the 18th Eric Lejoindre and the adviser of Paris danièle premel commented on by the commissioner of the exhibition Julia Rajacic / Paris 18th City Mayor Eric Lejoindre with the counsillor in charge of popular education danièle premel Visiting the exhibition with the curator Julia Rajacic

Blog, Reflections, World

#prayforparis

November 14, 2015 Kristi Leave a comment

My heart goes out to the city of Paris and country of France today. France is very close to our hearts here at home and in the USA. Especially during this time with the GAIA exhibition – the curator is safe and is contacting the other artists. I had the word Paris in my third-eye all morning/afternoon on Friday, and couldn’t figure out why… and now I know.

I am very thankful that no one in my immediate circle was hurt or located in France at the time.

Take care of yourselves now.